Trump Calls for Imprisonment of Windy City Mayor and Illinois Governor as Military Forces Deploy in Metropolis
Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect ICE agents.
"The city's leader belongs behind bars for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump wrote on his platform early Wednesday. "Governor Pritzker as well!"
Both officials identify as the Democratic faction.
Trump's statements come alongside the arrival of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the current government, despite vehement protests from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader wrongfully arrested," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I'm not going put."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, stating: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the path to full-blown autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, military troops from Texas had reached the Elwood army reserve center, a military installation approximately 50 miles from Chicago, as the federal government advances with its hardline crime strategy and mass deportation efforts.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in many offenses, such as murders.
That day, 200 Texas National Guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard forces readying for deployment, according to sources. Officials indicated the soldiers would avoid law enforcement duties but would protect ICE officers and their facilities.
Military personnel wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" delivered sanitation facilities and essential items. Mobile units were set up in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the army reserve center for safety concerns until early December.
The administration has escalated immigration enforcement in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, particularly near an processing facility in Broadview.
On Monday, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, asking a federal judge to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, labeling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday.
Mayor Johnson also issued an directive on that day prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using municipal facilities as operation bases for deportation efforts.
The governor has charged Trump of using troops as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on the previous day, he said that Trump is attempting to "justify and normalize the presence of military personnel under his personal authority."
The historic federal law restricts the army's involvement in civilian law enforcement. Yet, the president has said he would be prepared to activate the emergency powers, which permits a commander-in-chief to send regular army in states that are unable to put down an uprising or are resisting national authority.
After beginning his second term, Trump has dispatched or mentioned sending military units to at least 10 cities, including major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the military presence is necessary to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Data shows that most violent crime across the US has declined in recent years. In the city, for instance, murders were reduced nearly one-third to 278 through August, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data published on that day found that the majority of US citizens oppose the sending of military forces without an foreign danger.